I’m asked about clothing for yoga often enough; I decided to write about it. There’s a difference between being truly comfortable and wearing something you are “supposed to.” Some of you, however, are most comfortable wearing what you are “supposed to” and I’m not sure how to address that 🙂
Yoga pants? Yoga leggings? Yoga Shorts?
If you forgot your “yoga clothes” and all you have on is your jeans and a button-down shirt, don’t let it deter you! Make them yoga jeans and come to class, especially if it’s Yin or Avita Yoga. At Yoga Loft you will be accepted as you are. Dress how you like and show up as you are. If yoga is about discovering authentic Self, then the care and concern for outer appearances will only delay your real inner progress.
We have classes that you can do in the comfort of your own home, whatever pants you wear will be your yoga pants. In Avita Yoga, we emphasize the road less travelled by–the inner one. External requirements, especially those that are self-imposed, will only delay the inner journey.
Dress how you please and show up as you are!
Perhaps this has been one of the benefits of Covid isolation. We’ve become comfortable with ourselves. Before Covid, were you aware of how “accountable” the outer world made you? If there is anything we can take away from the isolation, it’s the peace that comes with not having to live up to someone else’s standards. Dress for happiness; for happiness is success!
Join Jeff Bailey as he presents and shares Avita Yoga at The Awareness Conference 2021 Open the Heart, Know the Truth. The conference is online with free access for all on April 16, 17, 18, 2021.
Can you think of a better title for a conference? Can you think of a better topic and goal? I hope you’ll attend and partake in this spirited event, chock full with talented teachers.
What makes this phrase (open your heart, know the truth) so powerful?
Well, if we are called to open our hearts, then it must imply that they are closed. And that’s ok.
This gentle acknowledgment is our starting point. It’s like Buddha’s First Noble Truth that states the obvious: suffering is part of the dream we call life. We start by befriending the very thing we unwittingly fight. Why is life difficult? Why do I feel stuck and afraid? Oh, my heart must be closed. If life in this world is scary, unsafe, and challenging, then of course, my heart will be closed. It’s a normal response to put up boundaries, and protect, but it’s not natural.
The most natural thing we can do is to gently open our hearts and seek the truth. It takes a little willingness and faith and that is what this conference gathering is all about.
Give it a try. I hope you’ll join us for three free days. We’ll do some Avita Yoga each morning to open the conference and our hearts—if even a little bit to let the light and love come through. It’s what we want more than anything, and yet funny how we fear it. This conference is a golden opportunity to trust the quiet, loving voice inside and let it grow. There’s nothing to lose but fear itself. Click the button below. It’s free!
If this is your time to Open your Heart and Know the Truth, cancel any plans you might have for April 16 -18, 2021, and give yourself the gift of Awareness: Know the Self, Know the Truth.SIGNUP-DETAILS
The Awareness Conference is FREE.
All Access Pass includes:
Access to all LIVE Sessions
Instant Replays
Access complete video recordings of every session for up to 1 year.
Every session has an audio-only version available for you to download and listen to anytime, on any device.
Exclusive bonus gifts from speakers including Gangaji and more!
Every building has a foundation. Whether it’s a high-rise or a house, the structure you live in has a foundation. Everything above the foundation rests upon it. Everything above must interact and relate to the parts below. Our feet are our foundation. We stand on them, we walk on them, we pedal bicycles with them, and we run on them, and that’s why I’m having the “Keeping Your Feet Strong and Healthy Workshop.”
(This is part of your membership to Avita Online.)
Now imagine a foundation that moves. Not only must it have the integrity to support the structure above, but now it must have the resiliency to withstand change. Large buildings in areas prone to earthquakes require adaptable foundations. Our feet are adaptable, but unlike a building’s foundation, our feet must also adapt to the implications that come from above! That knee or hip problem can find its way into the feet. Bunions can originate because of weight distribution issues that come from above. All it takes is pressure, and bone production begins. We’ll talk more about this in the workshop.
Like all foundations, feet are at the bottom, and what happens at the bottom? Stuff accumulates there. Studies have shown that resilient calf muscles help with venous blood return, but imagine the work it takes to get blood from the feet back up to the heart all day long. Remember, 90% of the body is water, making up the extracellular matrix, a fancy word for all the space around cells. 7.5 liters of water (interstitial fluid) is moved through the body daily, and it relies mostly on bodily movement to transfer it, cleanse it, and dumped back into the bloodstream near the heart! This is the lymphatic system’s function, which plays a vital role in maintaining our immunity to infection and disease. I mention all this because feet will be affected if there is insufficient movement to keep these systems functioning optimally, and this is where Avita shines.
It’s no doubt that feet start to get a little funny looking over time.
“Stuff” builds up, but the things the body relies on to move it around and clean it up become compromised over time. We call this the aging process, and while it is inescapable, we can do it gracefully, one of the many purposes of Avita Yoga. Come to this workshop to learn about the ways we reverse the impact of time on the feet.
Learn how to regain and maintain healthy feet. Your whole body will love it!
This workshop will open with a short slide show and anatomy presentation to ground our discussion and provide a framework for specific issues and any questions you may have.
The New Year holds excitement for many reasons. It’s a symbol of hope for one basic reason: We survived the previous year, and the upcoming year must be better than the last one, a new beginning. Then we dance and party, albeit a little more privately this year. Oh, and we make a resolution that usually amounts to some form of behavior modification. We set “deep intentions” and then sit back and…watch it all fall apart. It’s become such a pattern that we have come to expect to not really work.
REMEMBER (EXACTLY ONE YEAR AGO) HOW GOOD 2020 WAS SUPPOSED TO BE?
Now, I’m sure it’s different for you, but most get caught in time loops where we avoid the inner work and move from one thing to the next expecting the new form of it to be better than the last. Whether it’s a new relationship, new job, new clothes, new house, new location, or new year, we fall into the trap and renew the outer (which includes the body) without doing the yoga of renewing the inner. Gandhi said it best, we can’t look for the change we want to see in our bodies or the world. We must “be the change.”
HERE’S HOW TO MAKE THIS YEAR DIFFERENT AND “BREAK OUT” OF THE TIME LOOP. THINK GROUNDHOG DAY (WITH BILL MURRAY)
Knowing that adversity is the catalyst for a better way, look back on 2020 and see how it worked perfectly to bring you to this present moment where you are ready. For 2021 to be better, we must see how well 2020 worked. We don’t get to go back. Life is not a board game where you get to start over. Or do you?
There is a way to start over, but the idea is that you start over and over, and over again. Not in form, but in heart and mind. The stars are aligned. It’s time. Here’s how…
It comes with many names, that you’ve heard before. Beginners mind. The power of now. Presence. They are all phrases or ideas that bring a new beginning! Problem is, we write them off because they’re too woo-woo and it so much easier to go back to sleep and “live the dream.” But now you’re ready! So how do we tap into the newness that only comes with nowness? First, we catch ourselves expecting, if not demanding change to occur in our favor. Is it not insane to be watching a movie that has a pre-written script and wanting it to change and end the way you want it to? Life is no different but we believe that it is. Instead of accepting what is, we manipulate it (and others) to fit our needs and desires according to a predetermined set of values. And 7 billion others are doing the same thing! It’s organized chaos at best.
But what if just one, decides to accept it as it is? What if just one decides to try something different, and make it all the same? What if just one decides to stop criticizing, blaming, defending and attacking? What if just one decides to withdraw their projections and accept what is? What if just one decides to heal from the past and gently let it slip away? What if just one decides against the fear of the future and lets love show them the way?
What if that one, was you? If not, then who?
Join the Community Chat and discuss your thoughts on this, on your Avita practice or just come and feel a part of the community.
75-minute Community Chats are available 1:00 PM – first Wednesday and 6:30 PM – third Wednesday of each month.
All discussions are shared within your user portal as well.
On our Avita Community Chat last night, a practitioner made a statement that we can all relate to in one form or another. The statement was essentially, “I want my knee to be pain free.” Don’t we all have bodily desires? Don’t we all have a goal for a body part to be better? Do we not all have a desire for some kind of outer change, whether in body or life? Of course!
It’s normal to have physical desires and goals. It’s also perfectly normal to pursue them.
However (you knew this was coming) I would like to offer a caveat that will put it all in perspective and create the backdrop for the best outcome: Allow your worldly/bodily goals to be second to one prevailing desire/goal for peace in mind—the last place we think to look for it. Close your eyes for a moment and offer yourself this one prayer. Go ahead, if even for an instant, set the goal. Don’t worry, you don’t need to throw your worldly goals away, but put them all in a second group called “fuzzy goals.”
With so many uncertainties in our world, there’s no better time to practice. Whether it’s isolation, masks, election outcomes, bodily aches and pains or uncertainty about the future, we each have a litany of worldly preferences—some people with similar goals and preferences but no two alike. It’s a great opportunity to use them all to practice and join with the two things we all have in common, the struggle as sentient beings, and the peace we share in spirit.
Here’s how we practice: When you feel things working against you, you can say to yourself, “Ah, yes, I would like ____________ to happen but peace is my goal.” Or, “I see this thing happening in the news and if only it were_______________, then I’d be happy. Oh yeah, peace is my goal.” Nothing is lost. There’s but a gentle shift to a different inner voice.
Here’s the most important part of all! Once the goal for peace is set (remember, you did that a moment ago) its outcome is certain because a peaceful Self is your reality.
That’s number one. Number two, don’t demand inner peace (of self or others) and don’t beat yourself up for not having it! There’s no surer way to delay your inevitable gains than proclaiming your “failure.” Instead gently observe the notion that something can seemingly take your peace away. It goes like this, “Oh, I know my goal is peace, but this _________ is taking my peace away….isn’t that interesting.” We begin by not critiquing the judge! This tiny gap in time, this moment of reprieve is enough to open the mind and your world up to vast, endless and helpful possibilities…all of which will align for the most favorable outcome. It’s called getting out of our own way and it will take a little trust, at first.
One of my favorite movies that exemplifies this so well is The Legend of Bagger Vance with Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Matt Damon. In the end we don’t know if Bagger Vance was a real person or a symbol of Ranulph Junuh’s peaceful mind. I vote for the latter. We all have a wise, healed and whole “Bagger Vance” within, waiting to be known. And if we listen for It (by dimming the chatter of the unhealed, demanding mind) it will guide us closer and closer to Itself and all the things that use to trouble us slip away and life begins to fall into place. You’ll first be OK with the knee pain and then you’ll gently find the way to mend it. If you watch the movie, notice how Bagger Vance has not a judgmental bone in his body, how peaceful he is, how easy the words come, how patient and loving he is…and he’s always there. Watch how Matt Damon’s character tries outwit him and fights for his own limitations. Eventually resistance is laid aside and peace comes.
This is our yoga and the essence of the Avita Practice. It’s why it works. It’s mind over matter time and time again as we work on the matter! We don’t stop working on the body, we just get our priorities straight. If you take the time to read the Yoga Sutras, this is what they point to. It’s not easy but it is simple. Instead of putting the body first, we learn to put it second and get to know the one thing that is constant, eternal and available to all: Lasting Peace. That is out of this world!
Warrior poses are for the hips but it’s easy to confuse the shapes and load the low back and SI joint which leads to big problems down the road. If you over rotate the hips it can lead to early degenerative hip problems. Listen as Jeff Bailey, owner of Yoga Loft Studio in Boulder, CO (Founder of Avita Yoga) explains in more detail.
Are you looking for more in your Avita Yoga practice? Interested in learning the fundamentals, history and the healing principles of Avita Yoga? This Avita Yoga Weekend Retreat is made for you! Jeff Bailey, Founder of Avita Yoga is offering an online weekend retreat where you can dive in and experience this innovative yoga practice for an entire weekend! Imagine that – an entire weekend of Avita Yoga from the comfort of your own in-home studio. Through-out the live feed, Jeff will be in-studio with others, giving you the feel of being in the studio and the classes will be live and interactive so that you can ask questions in realtime.
The weekend retreat is coming up – register today to begin your next level of Avita Yoga practice.
Expand and deepen your Avita Yoga practice
This weekend retreat comes to you live via zoom and is for anyone interested in learning more about the Avita Yoga practice, whether you are interested in teaching or taking your individual practice to the next level. Looking for an easy weekend get-away? This retreat is for you.
[button color=”default” link=”https://www.avitaonline.com/product/avita-yoga-weekend-retreat/” size=”default” target=”_self” block=”false”]YES! I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE RETREAT[/button]
Itinerary Friday, June 19th – Sunday, June 21, 2020
Friday, June 19
6:00 pm – 7:15 pm
Where do we start? At the beginning. Where is the beginning?
We’ll open with a short discussion and practice that sets the tone for the weekend and brings purpose for everything to come. In doing so, we touch on the healing principles of the practice.
Saturday, June 20
9:00 – 10:00 Avita Green Practice
10:00 – 10:15 Break
10:15 – 11:30
What is Avita Yoga? What are we doing and how does it work?
This discussion explains the link between anatomy, physiology, and the mind where all healing occurs. If we miss any of these steps, we simply trade one temporary effect for another and never get to the cure.
Assignment: Learn the bones in the skeleton
11:30 – 1:00 Lunch break
1:00 – 2:00 Physiology of the Breath
Learn why it’s now more important than ever to breath (only) through your nose!
Dr. Kemmet, DDS is an expert on occlusion, the airway and why mouth breathing is harming to the system. Even when it comes to the breath, less is more!
2:00 – 3:30 Break
3:30 – 4:30 Avita Green Practice
4:30 – 4:45 Meditation: We rest by awakening, not by sleeping.
4:45 – 5:00 Closing
I know. It’s optional. The only reason we gently test is to facilitate learning. That, and the discussion that comes after the quiz is powerful!
12:30-1:15 Anatomy of bone and cartilage: Overuse/underuse and the role of Avita Yoga in maintaining osseous health.
1:15 – 1:30 Closing thoughts
Life happens…and then somewhere along the way, the “happening” catches up to us and we find that our bodies don’t function with the same ease and comfort that they did in the past. No one can avoid the effects of time and gravity, not to mention the trauma that life inevitably brings to the body and the compensatory patterns they generate in the body. We often ‘chalk it up’ to old age to justify our condition, but you don’t have to fall into that trap! A consistent Avita practice will reverse the effects of time on your body.
Yoga joins
I’m no different than anyone else. I’ve experienced the trials and tribulations of life, but having discovered yoga at the age of 22 I was sourced with the passion for a better way in body and mind. I never subscribed to a particular method but studied most of them to some degree and found that they tend to pull us apart. But by definition, yoga joins. What does this mean? What are we separate from? And then in the fall of 2010 the answer was given and my life has never been the same. My mind was flooded with light. Years of practicing life’s inner work largely with A Course in Miracles as my guide (fittingly in the midst of one of my life’s deepest challenges) I had the outcome I wanted—the same one we ALL want—unconditional peace and joy.
Love will find a way
One of my greatest assets is the ability to understand a concept and then distill it down to the simple details. I’m also very willing to experiment with my life. This set the backdrop for a deep prayer to find a way to recover from a ski accident that severely impacted my hip. Lying on my back one day after a yoga class, I willed a better way. I know that the prayer of the heart is always answered, and the answer came just a few weeks later. The people and circumstances flowed into my life to begin shedding light on this healing path that was later to become Avita Yoga. It came with great challenge but I know that great things come with challenge. I know the power of commitment and I stayed true to my own prayer for a better way the could be shared with all. My mantra in difficult times is, “Love will find a way” and it continues to guide me today.
A gentle resolution
To experience the power and presence of this continuous Guidance is the goal of Avita Yoga. But because this Constant Love is ever-available to all, it cannot be amplified or increased. It must be gently revealed. Like cleaning the lens of a lightbulb that is always fully on, the Avita practice removes the obstacles to the light. The result is a steady and gentle return to the Light and Love we never left, all the while experiencing the side-effects of a healthier, more mobile body. This is what makes Avita Yoga unique. To be effective, the body must become a vehicle to heal the mind which is then reflected back into the body. The mind is not limited to to the space between the ears, it is everywhere. And so, Avita Yoga is the gentle resolution of inner conflict – both physically and nonphysically—a revelation of the power and presence of Self. There’s nothing like it.
What better goal could exist? It’s what makes Avita the yoga of a lifetime, for a lifetime.
Jeff Bailey – Trainings, Certifications
Jeff Bailey holds four yoga teacher certifications: two 200-hour, one 300-hour, and one 500-hour and currently leads 200 and 300 hour Avita Yoga Teacher Training. As a trained Rolfer, Jeff weaves structurally integrative elements into classes and trainings that have practical applications in life. Jeff brings a diverse background in the yoga traditions of Iyengar, Vinyasa, and Yin and together with his wife Lori, own several yoga studios, Yoga Loft South Boulder and Yoga Loft Gunbarrel – an All Avita Yoga studio in Colorado.
From Jeff
Yoga and the business of yoga is my dharma, a word that aligns us with both practice and purpose. When we find something that works, we naturally want to share it and feel that I have a lot to share.
Our population has never been so sedentary, unfit and unhealthy. A recent World Health Organization report indicates that life expectancy in the U.S. dropped for the first time since 1993. Health trends are declining, despite a plethora of advancing medical technologies, and a thriving multibillion dollar health and fitness industry. The trend is obviously not working and yet we keep pushing for more of the same, expecting different and better results. Sounds insane doesn’t it? And now, Avita Yoga no sweat.
Are you ready for a profound and truly helpful shift in perspective?
Of course some seem to have found their niche in one program or another but as a whole, we need a different approach, a new mindset. I hope so because paradigms change only for those who want them. We need to endorse a simpler approach to health—one in which anyone and every body can benefit. Forget about fitness for a while. Just because the images portray tantalizing results, it doesn’t work for most bodies and it may not be working for yours!
Avita Yoga no sweat!
Have you considered that the latest fitness craze may not be suitable for you? No matter how promising the results, what if the program was fundamentally a mismatch for you and your constitution? It happens all the time. People get excited about a new routine and commit for a while, only to feel overwhelmed and frustrated—which inevitably leads to guilt, and because guilt demands punishment, they beat themselves up for not succeeding at something that was never destined to work. Start by letting yourself off the hook. Let go of the specifics and forget about attaining a certain look. You’re reading this because deep down, you want a better way.
Avita is a return to the basics.
Quite simply, Avita is about regaining and maintaining physical mobility and function, which may sound trite when compared to the promises of the latest fitness craze. And it may sound uninteresting until you realize just how much movement potential you’ve already lost. Avita Yoga simultaneously reveals the limitations while providing the remedy to regain the movement. No matter your age, body type or degree of fitness, Avita Yoga will help you regain and then maintain healthy mobility and physical function because at the end of the day (and certainly near the end of a lifetime) mobility is everything!
Mobility throughout the body is critical for two primary reasons.
First, you do want to remain independent and fully capable of taking care of yourself for the rest of your life. With Avita Yoga it is possible to age with dignity and grace. Secondarily, mobility fosters health the same way immobility fosters degeneration and disease. Where there’s movement, there’s adequate blood flow and that means adequate local nutrients for cellular health. The same healthy blood flow eliminates metabolic wastes that are constantly taking place deep in the tissues. Where there’s movement the muscle tissue becomes more supple and relaxed which creates a better environment through which nerves and vessels pass. The number one cause of pain is restricted blood flow, so why not set the goal to have healthy blood flow through every joint in every position?
This is Avita Yoga and it starts exactly where you are today, at the beginning. You can let go of every image and idea you’ve ever had about yoga.
You can do it.
Physically speaking, the goal of Avita is to have full range of motion in every joint, actively and passively (there is an important difference), for the rest of your life. You can have that with Avita Yoga and reap all the extracurricular benefits of it. All you have to do is begin.
A message from Jeff Bailey Founder of Avita Yoga
Are you ready for a profound and truly helpful shift in perspective?